The thrush is not a particularly conspicuous visitor – it never comes down to the lawn to feed, but it will occasionally have a bath and strut its beautiful speckled breast about in the sunshine. Going through the garden, particularly around the steps, I regularly see empty snail shells, however today was the first time that I’d spotted it actually dealing with a snail. It was picking it up and throwing it down on the paving slabs beside the little water tray. After three or four smashes, the shell broke apart and the thrush pounced on the meat within. Very often the hostas in their pots, despite copper strips on the rims, crushed eggshells or even vaseline smeared around the tops, are ragged lace remnants after the snails have finished with them, but this years they’re still whole and I think our busy thrush is the best gardener around.
The noisy starling nestlings were briefly on the lawn and both female woodpeckers came to the cone peanut feeder, the bigger bird levering nuts out of the top of the feeder and disappearing with them, whilst the smaller attacked the nuts at the base of the cone. Once or twice she seemed to grasp a small portion of nut or one would drop down to the grass below and she’d go down to eat it. I’m hoping her hunger won’t outweigh her caution – I shooed Miss White Paws away from the water tray this morning.
thekitchensinkbirdwatcher 